Dee Dee Bridgewater breaks a spear for women in Jazz
- Oct 2, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
An exclusive interview with jazz legend Dee Dee Bridgewater on music, equality, and empowering women in jazz.
»I believe it's our responsibility to help create a culture that welcomes, celebrates and supports women, who have always contributed—and continue to contribute—so much to this unique art form.«
She is widely regarded as one of the greatest living jazz vocalists, following in the footsteps of legends such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. She paid tribute to both artists with two acclaimed albums: Dear Ella (1998) and Eleanora Fagan (1915–1959): To Billie with Love from Dee Dee Bridgewater (2010), earning three Grammy Awards for these recordings.
Over the course of an extraordinary career, Bridgewater has shared the stage with artists including Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Sonny Rollins and Ray Charles, while also starring in award-winning musicals and theatre productions.
For many years, she has collaborated with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. On 2 July 2022, seven years after her previous appearance, Bridgewater returned to JazzAscona in southern Switzerland for a memorable concert with the orchestra.
In conversation with Dee Dee Bridgewater, I encountered a thoughtful artist who transforms anger into creative energy in the pursuit of a more just world, beginning with the music industry. At the heart of our conversation was one question in particular: gender equality.
Dee Dee, you formed a special connection with Ascona when you first performed here in 2015. What stayed with you from that experience, and what are you looking forward to rediscovering on your return?
In Ascona I met many wonderful musicians. Friendships and artistic collaborations were born that continue to this day. That creative exchange gave me so much. My only regret was not having enough time to explore Ascona itself. Hopefully I'll be able to make up for that this time!
You're touring with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. How did this collaboration begin?
It all started with Irvin Mayfield, the orchestra's founder and former artistic director. I worked closely with him for several years, lending my support to help bring greater international visibility to the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. That collaboration also led to a recording before I stepped away from the project. (...) Now, with Adonis Rose as the orchestra's new artistic director, I've decided to return, and here I am touring once again with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.
»I've spent many years on stage in an industry that remains deeply male-dominated. I can't tolerate injustice, and the truth is that it makes me angry.«
You have always resisted being confined to a single musical identity. Whatever the context, you seem determined not to let labels define you.
I don't think anyone enjoys being put into a box, but by now I've made peace with being called a jazz singer. I can live with that, even though my interests reach far beyond jazz and continue to take me in new directions. The fact that my latest album, Memphis... Yes, I'm Ready, released in 2017, was once again placed in the jazz category actually makes me smile.
At the moment I'm working on a Broadway musical and considering a second production that has been offered to me. I've spent many years on stage in an industry that remains deeply male-dominated. I can't tolerate injustice, and the truth is that it makes me angry. At this stage of my career, I'd rather devote my energy to other causes.
Are you referring to your mentoring programme for women in jazz?
Exactly. I believe it's our responsibility to help create a culture that welcomes, celebrates and supports women, who have always contributed—and continue to contribute—so much to this unique art form.
The Woodshed Network was launched three years ago without much fanfare. I've never liked using my name to trumpet everything I do. Instead, it has grown organically, largely through word of mouth. It is a one-year professional development programme for female jazz musicians who want to navigate the music industry with confidence. In many ways, it has become a real career catalyst, helping numerous women join outstanding projects and establish themselves professionally.
»We will not stop until seeing women on stages is the norm.«
In this project you work closely with your daughter, Tulani Bridgewater-Kowalski. Is it fair to say that, together, you are building a legacy for the next generation of women in jazz?
Absolutely. Tulani and I share the same commitment: creating lasting change. We need to challenge the existing paradigm, and we won't stop until seeing women on stage is no longer the exception, but simply the norm.
When I arrive with an all-women quintet or sextet, organisers often seem surprised and ask why I didn't warn them in advance. Warn them? Really? My response is always the same: "Why should I?"
The fact that this still comes as a surprise tells you everything. So yes, Martina, we still have a long way to go.
Martina Knecht
Text © Martina Knecht
All photographs accompanying this article are by Gioele Pozzi. © JazzAscona, 2022.
Martina Knecht's interview with Dee Dee Bridgewater was published on 1 July 2022 in the Ticino press.
The press office was located in Collegio Papio, one floor above the rehearsal room. Outside, a summer downpour had cast the historic building into semi-darkness, its shutters closed against the rain. For hours, music drifted through the dim corridors and empty classrooms, transforming the school into an unexpected place of creation. These are the fleeting moments when a place reveals another identity.
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